Paul's TE2 building thread[*TE]

[Daetrin[Admin]]

It turns out that putting together a TE2 suit requires a little more patience and skill than an FX. I'm using this thread to record my journey in the hopes that it helps others buying TE2 make the transition from FX.

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I was pretty excited to get a box of sweet TE2 armor earlier this week. Unpacking the items was almost a religious experience - what a great kit! Yesterday we had an arpa (armor party) for another guy and I brought the TE2, trimmed and painted, to work on.

 

Feeling like an FX veteran and having worked on clone suits as well, I thought it would be pretty straight-forward. In this case, a good friend did the main trim and paint so that should just leave me the assembly. I figured a five hour arpa should be enough time - it would for an FX - but boy was I wrong.

 

For starters, the TE2 is made of HIPS isntead of ABS. In the past I used ABS cement and all was good, but for HIPS (whether TE2 or JM) this is a no-no. So it was either use E6000 and wait, or use CA glue + accelerant and not. And here is where I started making my first mistakes:

 

1) Quality is better than speed.

You'd think after telling this to others for so long I'd have learned it myself, but instead I was overconfidant and started to jump in instead of taking my time and getting oriented with the particulars of this armor.

 

2) Don't forget to sand before glueing

I'm so used to ABS kits (e.g. no paint) that I forgot to sand off paint from the surfaces before gluing. Needless to say the first attempt didn't go well.

 

3) Trim the part to look right

ANH armor is not symmetrical, unlike FX. The biceps for instance look very different from each other, and also one is larger than the other. I can get the right over my bicep, but think I'll have to shim the left slightly to get it to fit.

 

 

Never having seen a TE(2) suit before, I wasn't sure if the parts not lining up perfectly like an FX kit is intentional or not. Being afraid of trimming where I shouldn't, I glued before I checked with people smarter than me. Here is one example:

 

 

Fortunately my glueing was limited to one bicep which I think I can clean up and two shins, which I probably can't but still look OK for now. And yes, I did test fit the parts but thought that minor mis-matches were part of the "authenticity". Now I know that I should have continued to make minor trim changes to ensure a proper fit.

 

4) I psyched myself out and didn't ask enough questions when I started

As I said, I was pretty sure on the shins that the fronts should have been trimmed to flush fit and put the strip on top, but I doubted myself thinking that perhaps it was me who didnt't know what he was doing to overlap the fronts first. This is TE2 - the best armor out there - and I let the legend intimidate me. Next time, I should follow my "gut".

 

On the other hand, there were some things I did correctly.

 

1) Label each part before you assemble.

As I said the suit is pretty asymetrical. The forearms, biceps, and thighs are - quite easily to even my eye - different parts. This is very different from FX where the molds are made to be symmetical (unless you have the older FX thighs like I do). I drew a R and L on parts to ensure I didn't inadvertantly mix the inside left shin with the outside right shin.

 

2) Stop when you get tired or frustrated

Near the end I was pretty exasperated from all my errors. Rather than trying to press on, I stopped for the night and took some time to go over the days' progress, check in with TE2 on the finer points that I had missed, and am now set to start again.

 

[*TE]

[Exodus[TK]]

Looking forward to reading and watching your progress

[Florida_Phil[501st]]

Don't beat yourself up too bad, I'm sure we could all write threads much like this one!

Interested in hearing more though!

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I think I'm more embarrassed than anything - my enthusiasm to get going overran my judgement.

[TD2802[501st]]

Yep, a lot of us have been there before so no need to feel embarrassed. Literally in this case . I remember as a kid building my first scale models how I'd try to assemble everything in a couple nights. The obvious result was a piece of crap that looked nothing like the box art. It took several years of trial and error to get where I could compete in contests and actually win some awards. I went from a couple days to several months to finish a project. Some kits do assemble faster than others depending on the material or how its parted out.

 

Aside from the higher accuracy level, the TE2 is not FX simply because its altogether a different material. Moral of the story is 'Patience' as with any kit. Along the way you pick up some tips from fellow hobbyists or learn new techniques to share with others. This thread is a good example of that so keep us posted.

[SethB6025[501st]]

Ah, good old trial and error. I sort-of remember putting my TE together earlier this year. I had just had "open" hernia surgery (that's the kind where you are laid up in bed for a bloody week) the day before the box showed up. After a few days of countless hours of TV, movies, and sketching in bed, I was able to get up and hobble about for a couple hours a day. I trimmed the whole suit over the course of two days, about half an hour at a time. Surprisingly, those two hours were best because I was high as a kite on pain pills and I didn't hurt at all. I'm amazed I didn't screw up (maybe more pills will help the next suit ). Assembly went smoothly for me, only a couple bumps in the road, mostly with the shins popping apart due to my stingy gluing. Great idea with the labels, I did the same. Makes it a lot easier to keep track of what's what. Everything will turn out fine, keep plugging away.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

LESSON #2

 

Here is something else I learned about TE armor the hard way. FX armor comes fully trimmed and you just slap it together, but TE2 armor has something called "lines of illusion". Here is a comparison shot of the TE2 back plate vs. my FX back plate.

 

Note on the TE (clean) along the right side there is a lip, however the FX kit doesn't have it.

 

 

This is also seen around the neck area

 

 

In my ignorance, I thought it was the case that the person who did the trimming left a little for me to do, so (on parts now shown) I started to trim it off. Big mistake as while you can take plastic off, you can never put it back on.

 

Not all pieces have "lines of illusion" (for instance, the chest piece does not), but pretty much every other piece does.

 

Lesson: remember when you get your TE2 suit that these are supposed to be there.

[Exodus[TK]]

BUMMER!

[Daetrin[Admin]]

As long as someone else learns what *not* to do, I'll not be bummed It's a pretty neat detail of the TE2 armor and I'm curious to see how it looks when assembled.

[troopermaster]

Actually the chest is supposed to have a lip on the bottom and the sides.These lips are where the straps are riveted for the interior strapping on the originals.Don't worry about it though,unless your going for 100% authenticity Most of the original arms didn't have any 'lines of illusion' either,just rough cut.I see a lot of people leaving lips on their arm parts but they dig into me so I don't bother with them.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

So today I was home sick. After convalescing in bed for the morning, I felt good enough to do some work in the early afternoon.

 

Here is what I got done:

1. Added velcro to chest, back, and shoulder straps. I'm using velcro to connect it all now until I wear all the armor and have someone to help ensure the position is correct before gluing the straps to the chest. Also created the straps that go along the sides to ensure a snug fit.

 

2. Added velcro to ab plate on the sides, crotch, and top. Created crotch & side straps.

 

3. Added velcro and created straps for the shoulder bells. I'm using the single strap that goes around the neck, and also the ones that go around the bicep.

 

3. Test fit the smaller bicep. I had to add a shim and even then it's tight. Haven't glue anything yet - again I want it all on before I do that.

 

4. Got the kidney plate all velcroed out. with straps there as well.

 

5. Created straps for the hand plates and drop boxes. Ensure they fit OK.

 

Normally the straps have the velcro sewn onto the material, but having that option open to me I tried two methods:

 

A) Using E6000 to glue the velcro to the strap

Using CA glue (with accelerator) do to it.

 

It seems to me using CA glue + accelerator is cleaner and faster than using E6000, which took awhile to dry. We'll see how they hold up over time.

 

Normally I'm a big fan of snap systems, but until I have everything test fitted I'm sticking to velcro. That, and I'm having trouble making solid snap plates using extra styrene. The plastic seems too weak and I'm thinking of just using ABS for the plate instead, though I'm concerned about it damaging the HIPS armor (e.g. it's stronger but not as flexible - will it tear?).

 

Most of what's left are the legs, belt, and forearms. I'll try to get a garrison mate's wife to sew me a canvas belt. I was just too tired and groggy to do more and didn't trust myself for the fitted pieces today. Still, it's good progress and I'll start work on the forearms next.

[TD2802[501st]]

I wouldn't recommend using CA and accelerator to attach velcro to a strap . CA/accelerator works better for bonding resins and other hard plastics like styrene, or as a gap filler. Its great for maintaining rigidity but not for tension bearing parts, and definitely not my first choice for textiles like velcro and nylon strapping material. It also has a tendency to degrade over time.

Try stitching the velcro and strap material together instead reinforced with E6000 .

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Try stitching the velcro and strap material together instead reinforced with E6000

 

I would, but no sewing machine. I guess I could hand sew new ones eventually, but I suspect this will have to be my "good enough" solution until more time materializes.

 

Possible to pix how you did your shoulder straps? I'd like to use that solution and just velcro on the plastic ones as decoration.

[SethB6025[501st]]

If you're needing the E6000 ready quicker, glue the part, press it together with the thing you're glueing it to, then pull it apart and let it sit for five minutes. When you press it together again it holds nicely. I glued industrial velcro to my canvas belt this way and trooped in it (with pouches on the belt) about four hours later. (It still smelled though )

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Are you using a stick or something similar to apply the E6000? My first efforts and there was a lot of spider webs hanging off. It seems better to put some on a tongue depressor and apply it that way - or is there a better way?

[TD2802[501st]]

Possible to pix how you did your shoulder straps? I'd like to use that solution and just velcro on the plastic ones as decoration.

 

I actually used td1536's fine diy site for reference. Basically though I took some 2" white elastic strapping cut to size to bridge the shoulder area and used E6000 to bond the ends to the abs. Next I used E6000 to attach some loop velcro on the underside of the straps so that the hook velcro on my shoulder bell straps can attach to it.

 

See td1536's pics for ref: http://www.tk1536.com/images/te_sandtroope...ild/build10.jpg

http://www.tk1536.com/images/te_sandtrooper_build/build7.jpg

[bobby fletcher]

I would, but no sewing machine. I guess I could hand sew new ones eventually, but I suspect this will have to be my "good enough" solution until more time materializes.

 

Possible to pix how you did your shoulder straps? I'd like to use that solution and just velcro on the plastic ones as decoration.

 

I hand sew velcro on the belt i am using now. still wainting on white canvas for my for a more accurate looking belt! <_<

Heres a link if your going to go that road on your trooper

http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?P...canvas%20fabric

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I'm giving up CA glue in lieu of E6000. I was told that CA glue degenerates over time, and when I checked my shins the strips came apart with a slight tug. Then the shins came apart easily as well.

 

The attraction of CA is that is dries fast, but I'm too concerned now about using it. I'll give E6000 a chance next.

 

Progress was made. TK4205 swung by yesterday and we got most of the parts fitted. I'm velcro'ing everything for now until I can troop with the suit and figure out how I want it all to fit.

 

All that's left is the legs, belt, and forearms.

[troopermaster]

CA glue is good for nothing IMO.E6000 all the way

 

If your going for the snap'n'strap system,you can make your tabs with the male snaps on and tape them in place while test fitting to make sure they are in the right place.Just wear the suit for while and try doing things in the house,you'll soon know what wants adjusting.Then just move the tabs inside and try again,once happy commit to gluing.I'll give you a tip though,if your making the plastic tabs,only glue the ends of the plastic and not the metal snap!It's been my experience that when you clip the tabs in with grips it will melt the plastic where the metal snap is if you put glue on the snap.Another thing,you will never be able to move really freely in your armour so don't try too hard making it too comfortable,it won't happen As long as the pinching is down to a minimum,I would be happy with that!

 

-Paul.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

The other problem I encountered is that I'm having a hard time making tabs with styrene. The plastic is so soft that it really pinches down when trying to add a snap to it. (this may be due to the fact that it's thinner and softer plastic than the armor)

 

I'd like to go back to using ABS as the material for the tab pieces - is there any problem of gluing ABS tabs to the HIPS armor with E6000?

 

Actually Troopermaster's idea of taping a tentative strap system in place is a really good one. What I found is this: while it's pretty easy to remove industrial velcro from ABS, it's not as easy to remove it from HIPS. Apparently this has to to with the fact that HIPS is a lot more porous than ABS so the adhesive bonds more securely. Good news once you know exactly where you want the velcro to go, not so good if you don't.

[troopermaster]

I'm sure you could pick up some thick HIPS or ABS at your local hobby store.I use .100 but .80 would still be strong enough for the tabs.E6000 will stick HIPS to ABS,or any other plastic for that matter

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I made a few screw-ups as noted and got some replacement parts in today. Here is a good example of what lines of illusion are and why you shouldn't try to trim them off.

Mr. X. was also kind enough to include some spare ABS strips with the order, and all parts were very nicely packed.

But what was truly classy was the inclusion of Mona Loa nuts which seems standard, but also a very nice extra surprise. Now we'll really need to visit Paradise.

Talk about going the extra mile for a trooper - thanks Mr. X!!

[HPDblues[TK]]

I made a few screw-ups as noted and got some replacement parts in today. Here is a good example of what lines of illusion are and why you shouldn't try to trim them off.

Mr. X. was also kind enough to include some spare ABS strips with the order, and all parts were very nicely packed.

But what was truly classy was the inclusion of Mona Loa nuts which seems standard, but also a very nice extra surprise. Now we'll really need to visit Paradise.

Talk about going the extra mile for a trooper - thanks Mr. X!!

 

Oh come on now sir!

 

Tell us how you really feel???

 

T

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Due to me having to be out of action for almost all of November (traveling fool, me), I've asked my friendly neighborhood TK4205 to to the assembly of the legs & belt pieces to get this puppy *done*. He just finished the thighs and the results are beyond what I'd have been able to do - just gorgeous. I suspect he'll post a tutorial on how to do them correctly (hint, hint Wyatt).

 

What this means is I'll be able to start wearing this as my primary suit come December when I get back and put the TD on some much needed R&R.

[Exodus[TK]]

Paul (and Wyatt),

 

What's the latest on the TE2 build effort? You figure out how to make snaps that don't fall apart?

 

Curious mind want to know...